


scrawny

by itisjosh



Series: living a life of crime isn't always easy [6]
Category: Dreamwastaken
Genre: :(, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate Universe - Mob, Attempted Murder, Bad Parenting, Businessmen, Depression, Families of Choice, Family Bonding, Gangs, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Kidnapping, M/M, Major Character Injury, Murder, Music, Past Best Friends, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Serial Killers, Sleep Deprivation, Suicidal Thoughts, Unconventional Families, but it does get better, techno doesn't like being alone for reference, techno was raised in the mob, then phil snatched him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:55:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26096710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itisjosh/pseuds/itisjosh
Summary: Techno has never been very special. His parents were killed in front of him and then he was taken as tribute to the mob. It happens all the time, he's not all that different from everyone else. At least, not to him. Murder, blood pacts, and multiple attempts at escape later, Techno realises that he might just be a little bit different from every other kid his age.At least that makes him hard to overlook. He's never liked being forgotten.
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: living a life of crime isn't always easy [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1886707
Comments: 32
Kudos: 376





	scrawny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw; blood, violence, murder, brief suicidal thoughts

"You want me to..what?"

"You heard me," the man who killed his parents leans forwards, his eyes sparkling in the dim lighting. "I want you to kill him. You're old enough, Techno. You've known that this was coming. Why are you surprised?" Techno stumbles back, his knife in his hand. He didn't want a knife. He never wanted a knife. He just wanted to sleep, go back to school in the morning. But that stopped happening a long time ago. Techno wishes it hadn't stopped. As much as he hated going to school, he'd trade it for the world right now. "Techno. Don't try to get out of it. You know what happens to people who try to get out of things. Don't you?"

"I..I do," he murmurs, turning to face the boy. His name..Techno doesn't know his name. They don't tell him anything, he's just a kid. He's just a kid, and he isn't important enough to be told anything. He hates that the most. "Does he have a knife, too?"

"No."

"Give him one," Techno swallows, feeling sick to his stomach. "It's..it isn't fair if he doesn't. That's cheatin'. I'm not a cheater. It has to be fair. I won't do it if it isn't fair." The mob leader laughs, a loud, harsh barking noise that makes his ears hurt.

"You're so noble, aren't you?" He leans forwards again, his teeth stained yellow. "Fine. But whatever injuries you get from him, you're keeping. I don't plan on taking you to the hospital because you decided to be a hero," he tosses a knife to the other kid's feet. "There. Go." He takes a few steps back. Techno feels his heart racing, tears pricking his eyes. He never..he didn't want this to happen. He never wanted this to happen. The other boy can't be older than eleven. He looks older than Techno, though, so maybe he will. Techno kind of hopes that he does. He's not really sure if he even wants to live anymore, not if this is his life. 

"I'm sorry," he tells the boy. "I didn't.."

"Shut the fuck up," the boy grabs the knife, slashing forwards, cutting Techno right across the bridge of his nose. He cries out, stumbling back, hitting the ground. "I don't plan on dying today." The boy jumps onto him, holding his left hand down, trying to..to slash his throat. Techno gasps, kneeing the boy in the chest, kicking him in the stomach. The boy shouts, tumbling off of him, a wheezing, gasping noise coming from his chest. Techno stands up, gripping his knife harder, red tinting his vision. He tried..he didn't even say sorry. He just..he shakes his head, breathing through his mouth. Blood trickles down, and he tastes copper, the blood from his injury dripping onto his tongue. He screws up his face, spitting it out. The taste of blood is terrible. He hates the way it smells, the way it tastes. He thought he'd get over it - he's been around it for his entire life, now. The boy stands back up, narrowing his eyes at Techno, rushing him. Techno barely manages to twirl out of the way, backing up just enough that the other boy doesn't manage to hit him. 

"Come on!" The mob leader screams. "I trained you better than this, Techno!" He's right. Techno was with him when he asked him which one of his parents he should kill first. He knows exactly what he has to do. He knows, but he can't. He can't, his legs feel like stone and he..he's so _scared_. The boy whirls on him again, flying forwards, his knife grazing Techno's arm. He winces, hands shaking. He has to. He can't die, he..he won't. He won't die. Techno grabs the boy by the back of the collar, slamming him onto the ground, kicking him as hard as he can in the ribs. The crowd around them has started to cheer, getting louder and louder. Techno kicks him again, trying his best to not look the boy in the face. He feels hands on his legs, and then he feels the ground, slamming his chin into the dirt. The boy scrambles on top of him, punching him in the face. Techno feels his nose _ache_ , a pain he's never felt before erupting in his leg as he feels the boy's knife slide into it. He struggles for a second before he slams his head upwards, bashing it into the boy's. The other boy screams, grabbing at his nose as he falls back. 

Techno doesn't know why he does, it doesn't hurt that much. It hurts, yeah, but..maybe he hasn't watched his parents die. Techno thinks that's why he doesn't feel a lot of pain anymore. He positions himself over the other boy, holding up his knife, hands shaking. "I'm sorry." He whispers, plunging it down, hitting the boy's chest. He presses down as hard as he can, refusing to pull it out. The boy gurgles, his eyes going huge before they start to roll back, blood trickling out of his mouth, his nose looking bruised and shattered. The cheering around him gets louder, and Techno can't tune it out anymore, the screaming fills his ears. He feels himself being pulled back, forced to stand on his feet. His face hurts. His face hurts really, really bad. And his arm. And his lungs. Everything hurts a lot, but he isn't really sure where it's actually coming from anymore. 

"There's my boy!" The mob leader shouts, laughing right after. "Good job, Techno! You made a mess of him! He didn't even stand a chance!" Techno closes his eyes, trying his best to tune the noise out. He doesn't want to hear it anymore. It hurts. His head hurts, the voices colliding together, ringing in his ears. He snaps his eyes open as soon as he hears a gunshot, stumbling back when the man next to him hits the ground. Oh. He's going to die. He might be a kid, but..he looks down. His white shirt is stained with blood, his pants are soaked in it. It's all over his face, and his hands, and..he's the target, here. He's going to be killed. Techno isn't quite sure if that's a bad thing anymore, so he stays still, hearing the screaming and commotion around him, people running wild. The mob leader gets shot in the head, Techno watches him hit the ground, blood pooling around him. The gunshots are over fairly quickly, and he feels a hand on his shoulder. Techno turns, looking up at the man, preparing to get shot, but..

"Oh," the man frowns. "What've they done to you?"

"You.." he frowns back. "You aren't goin' to kill me?" The man shakes his head, kneeling down to Techno's height. He looks like he's in his twenties. Maybe younger. 

"Of course I'm not going to kill you. What's your name? I'm Phil."

"I..I'm Techno," he swallows, the taste of blood hitting the back of his throat. "You killed everyone else. I killed someone," he gestures to the boy. "Why aren't you goin' to kill me?" Phil shakes his head, planting both hands on his shoulders. 

"You're a child, Techno. And I'm not a child killer," he tells him. "Listen, let's get you all cleaned up, alright? Let me take you home, okay? I've got a nice bathroom and we can wash out your clothes. What do you like to eat, Techno?" Techno blinks up at him, a small smile finding its way onto his lips.

"Um..I don't really know," he admits. "I like anythin'. It's been a little bit. I don't get to choose."

Phil nods, standing back up. He reaches down, and Techno takes his hand. "Okay. Well, I'll show you around the kitchen and let you pick, alright? Whatever you want."

"Okay," Techno agrees. "Thank you."

"Don't," Phil waves his other hand, starting to walk. "Come on. I've got you."

* * *

"Dad!" Techno calls from his room, throwing his arm over his eyes. "Can we stay home today? I'm tired." He whines. He can hear his dad laugh from downstairs, and then he hears footsteps. 

"Move your arm. Let me feel your head," Techno does, and his dad presses a hand to his forehead. "You're not warm. You're just tired, huh?"

"Yeah," he sighs. "I didn't sleep last night. I just..had a bad dream."

Dad frowns, his eyes looking concerned. He always looks concerned when Techno says something like that. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," he shifts, sitting up. "Um..just stuff that happened. I'm okay," he promises, smiling at his dad. "I swear. I'm all good, it just kinda sucked, is all. Don't worry. But do we have to go to the meetin'? I just wanna _sleep_." Dad laughs, giving him a light shove. 

"You can stay here. I have to go, but you don't have to come with if you don't want to. There's a boy I know that's a few years older than you. He wouldn't mind staying over. He'd probably bring his friend, too. You wouldn't even have to talk to them if you didn't want, they'd just be here." Techno closes his eyes, letting out a yawn.

"Okay. What're their names? Are they..do they.."

"They're criminals, yes," Dad smiles. "Their names are Bad and Skeppy. They mostly just steal things, is all. The same as you." Techno nods, reaching for his glasses. Dad hands them to him, and he smiles at the help. 

"Okay. I'll..yeah, they can come over. How do you even know them? You're _old_." Dad laughs, rolling his eyes. 

"I am not _that_ old," he reminds him. "And they sort of crashed into my life. Their parents used to work for me, a while back. They're both very nice, I promise. Bad especially. He's a good kid. I think you'll like both of them."

Techno nods. "Alright. I love you, Dad."

"Love you too, son." The word fills him with happiness, a kind of joy he doesn't feel very often. He taps his hand on his nightstand, fidgeting a little bit as he moves out of bed. He watches his dad close his door and disappear down the stairs, his footsteps fading after a few seconds. He slides his glasses onto his face, feet hitting the floor as he kicks off his blankets. He remakes his bed after he destroyed it, starting to walk downstairs. Dad's already out the door and gone, probably having called someone to drive him around. Dad's..fairly popular among the Underworld. Techno didn't even know an Underworld existed, but it does. Apparently. And he's a big part of it. Techno's never really pressed, mostly because Dad has never said anything about it. He knows that Dad would if he asked, but he doesn't really see a reason to. If his dad wanted him to know, he'd tell him. He grabs his leftover sandwich from the fridge, unwrapping it and sitting down on the couch, taking a bite out of it. 

Immediately after he gets comfortable, he hears the doorbell ring. "Hello!" A voice calls out from the other side of the door, a little muffled. "I'm Bad! And Skeppy's here!"

"Hey." Another voice, a lot less excited, says. 

"We know Phil! Your dad, right? Can..can you let us in, now?" Bad pauses. "Are you even home? Is he home, Skeppy?"

"Phil said he was. He's probably just ignoring us. Ignoring you."

"Well, that's just _rude_ , Skeppy-"

Techno stands up, unlocking the door. It swings open, and he stares at the two boys in front of him. "Um, hey. I'm Techno."

"Hi!" Bad grins at him, looking like the friendliest person he's ever met. "I'm Bad. And this is Skeppy! Techno is a really cool name, I like it!" He laughs, letting himself inside. "Skeppy, say hi." He turns to his friend, giving him a little nudge. Skeppy stares at him, and Techno stares back.

"Hi."

"Hey," Techno crosses his arms, closing the door with his foot. "How..how'd you two meet?"

"We've always known each other!" Bad beams, throwing an arm around Skeppy's shoulders. "We're best friends!"

"Yeah," Skeppy sighs, shrugging his arm off. "Something like that," Bad pouts a little, but he doesn't say anything else about it. Whatever. "So. When'd you get here? Phil decided to just adopt you?" Techno shrugs, glaring at him.

"Yeah. So?" 

"Nothing," Skeppy holds his hands up. "Just wondering."

"Good," he clears his throat. "So."

"Well!" Bad grins, pulling a pack of cards out of his pocket. "I brought Uno."

* * *

"Techno, I need to tell you something," Techno shifts in his chair, tapping the table in a rhythm. Dad had called him out of his room a little bit ago, but he had just started talking now. "I..I'm adopting." Techno feels his eyes go wide, a smile breaking his face.

"Really?" He asks, leaning forwards. "Who? When? What's their name?" 

Dad laughs, relief flooding into his face. "His name is Wilbur. He was abandoned by his parents a while back, and I found him trying to pickpocket a friend of mine. He's..he's a few years younger than you, around fourteen? He's a charming little shit," Dad grins. "He's tall, likes music, and I think that's all he's told the truth about. He's interested in living here, but I don't think he honestly believes that I plan on adopting him." Techno nods, mulling over the information he's just been given. 

"I.. _wow_ ," he laughs. "I'm gettin' a little brother, huh? Can I..I wanna meet him, Dad. When can I meet him?" 

"Now," Dad beams. "He's here. I figured you'd ask that, so I told him to come over. He's in my office right now." Techno shoots up, scrambling up the stairs, sprinting past two doors, sliding into the wall by the third. He tries his best to not slam the door open, but excitement takes over, and he ends up doing that anyways. He stares at his little brother, Wilbur, who looks like he's just seen a ghost. 

"Hey," Techno grins. "I'm Techno."

"Um," Wilbur looks down, refusing to make eye contact anymore. "Wilbur. Where's Phil?"

"Dad's downstairs," he closes the door, sitting across from him. "Hey," Techno frowns. "You're kind of shakin' there, Wilbur. What's wrong?"

Wilbur blinks at him, wrapping his arms around himself. "I don't..I'm not looking forwards to when he eventually kicks me out," he admits. "It's happened so many times before, I don't get why people lie about it. I already know it's going to happen." Techno shakes his head, standing up, moving to sit next to Wilbur. 

"It's not," he assures him. "It's not gonna happen. Dad doesn't do take backs, or whatever they're called. If he said he was gonna adopt you, he's gonna adopt you. He doesn't break promises, _especially_ not when it comes to somethin' as serious as this. Wilbur, I swear," Techno leans forwards. "I wouldn't let him, anyways. It's been kinda lonely all by myself, you know? I think you do," he smiles. "Dad adopted me when I was nine. It was kinda spur of the moment thing, but he never, ever went back on it. It wasn't conventional at all, it probably almost got him killed, and he still kept me. He won't go back on this promise, Wilbur. I swear. I'd probably have to punch him in the face if he tried to do somethin' like that. I wouldn't let it happen. You're my little brother now, right? I'm not lettin' anythin' happen to you. I've got your back now, Wilbur. You're part of the family now," Wilbur is quiet for a while before he stands up, holding his arms out. Techno takes the hint, standing up as well, letting Wilbur hug him. "You're gonna be just fine, Wilbur. I'm not lettin' somethin' happen to you. You're safe here."

"Thank you," Wilbur murmurs, his voice low, husky. "I honestly think I believe you."

"You should," Techno smiles, ruffling his brother's hair. "I'm a very honest person." 

"Okay," Wilbur laughs, pulling back, his hair thrown over his left eye. "Did..what'd he tell you about me?"

"Just that your name is Wilbur and you like music," he beams. "Speakin' of likin' music. Wanna go steal a guitar with me? Is that what you play? I can steal whatever you play." Wilbur grins, shoving his hair back. 

"I'd like..I'd like that, yeah. I do play guitar. Do you play anything?"

"Violin," Techno grins. "But not very often. Not a lot anymore, I kinda grew out of it. Come on," he starts to move, opening the office door. "Hey, Dad?" He calls. "I'm takin' Wilbur to go steal a guitar. I'm gettin' him all adjusted here, so he should have somethin' that he likes to do here since he's stayin'." Dad laughs, making Techno smile a little. 

"Of course. Just be careful." 

Techno grins, wrapping an arm around his little brother's shoulder. "Always am, Dad. Always am."


End file.
